Creative expression bridges the mind, body, and emotions. It’s a way to discover our deeper parts and, quite often, learn something new and fascinating about ourselves.

There’s a lot of neat science behind mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT). Things like the way our body starts to heal when we get into a calm flow state. The “rest and digest” state we all need more of these days to counteract overstimulation from cellphones and stimulants, from chaos in the news, the crushing cost of living, and constant fear and anxiety that somehow has become our way of life.

When we take some time to chill out and focus on something we enjoy, our nervous system is allowed to take a breath and realize hey, I am safe now. Stress hormones drop., feel-good chemicals go up, and whatever needs dealing with can now be done from a calm place of awareness…or just let go of entirely because maybe the problem was not a problem, after all!